


And Yet...

by FuzzyApples



Category: Mario & Luigi RPG (Video Games)
Genre: Comfort, F/M, Gen, Insomnia, Kisses, Loneliness, M/M, king batty loves you, wholesome shit
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-03
Updated: 2019-04-03
Packaged: 2020-01-01 11:42:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,642
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18334184
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FuzzyApples/pseuds/FuzzyApples
Summary: You knew who he was. He was Antasma - the infamous bat king who stopped at nothing to achieve infinite power. He was vile, he was treacherous, he committed SUCH atrocious acts against all that was pure and good. If he so wished, he could do something absolutely terrible to you at this very instant! And yet-And yet...





	And Yet...

The night was slow and agonizing. Minutes seemed to stretch into hours as you tapped your fingers along the arms of your chair, attempting to quell a rising urge to shudder.  
With red and droopy eyes, you then glanced at the desk which was littered with paper, pencils, and books - the very books you’ve read countless times before. 

You slouched, sighing and resting your chin atop your palm. To be tired yet not tired was excruciating. But to be BORED as well was practically insufferable. 

Moments later, stirring you from that insufferableness, was a sudden breeze as a creature fluttered near your face, making his presence known by emitting a low squeak. You didn’t bother to turn your head, for you already knew who it was. What you DID bother to do, however, was blink in acknowledgment. 

“Greetings, little one.” His voice was deep and resonant, the mere sound of it sending chills up and down your form. Although, you couldn’t determine wether they were chills of fear or honest excitement. After all, for a bat king, his voice was rather...appealing.

“Vut are you doing? You are to be in bed.”

At this, you lifted an eyebrow and eventually turned to the little bat, presenting him with an odd look. “What?” Your voice came out in a dull whisper. 

The bat twitched, visibly irritated, then uttering a stern, “You haff heard me. I vill not repeat myself.” 

Not wishing to piss-off a literal being of nightmares, you swallowed and complied with his previous order by rising to your feet, tottering towards your bed, and falling back upon it before gazing at the ceiling above. The male soon fluttered over the bedhead, casting his watchful sight on you. 

“Now turn off the lights."

Once more, you obeyed without a word, slowly reaching towards the lamp upon the nightstand before switching it off and reclaiming your weary position on the mattress. By now, the only remaining source of light was the gentle glow of the moon that permeated the room. Fortunately, it was just enough to illuminate the features of the bat’s fascinating face. 

Although exhausted, there was now an urge to toss and turn. With an irritated huff, you began to shift, kicking at your bedspread and pawing at your pillow. Either you longed for comfort, or you really enjoyed vexing your unearthly acquaintance. 

“SCREENK! End that!”

You cringed at his piercing screech. Despite the fact that you heard them plenty of times before, they were still never pleasant to listen to, especially when you were exhausted beyond belief.

“Vut is the matter with you? Stay still!” 

Gradually, you managed to halt all movement, at least to a degree. Yet there was still that lingering feeling...

“It's just,” you began, peering at the male above, “Do you really think this can work, Antasma?"

Antasma paused, seeming to ponder as he flittered down to your side, a faint yet benign spark flickering within his eyes. 

“It can only vork if you choose to cooperate vith me, little one.”

Your nose wrinkled, disregarding all words except the final two. “Stop calling me that. I’m not a child!”

“Vell, you certainly are acting-“

“Besides,” You played with the collar of your nightshirt, restless and delirious due to a lack of much-needed slumber, “aren’t you the one who’s little? I mean, you’re like a foot tall!”

Antasma smirked, blatantly amused, letting out a chuckle that prompted a rapid heat to rise to your cheeks.

“Oh? ‘Little’ am I?” 

A beam of light, followed by a purple cloud then enveloped the king, the intensity of the glow forcing you to squint as his form began to change. 

The cloud soon dispersed, and now hovering in the bat’s place was a bizarre manifestation that was his original, nightmarish form. You could recall the moment when he first revealed his true self to you - the pain in your chest, the scream getting caught in your throat...

Yet, at this point, you were no longer filled with terror, but with pure and genuine awe. His bow tie (resembling a pair of bat wings) gave him a somewhat gentlemanly appearance, despite the keen teeth that said otherwise. The cape he wore was dark yet sublime, complimenting the long and slender claws (oh, how you wished they would comb throughout your hair). And the eyes, God, his eyes were breathtaking - two globes of gold reminding you of sweet oceans of honey. 

Also, he was remarkably bigger than you.

“I vould think you should look again, little one,” he crooned with his toothy grin.

The corners of your lips began to curl-up in soft joy. But before you had the chance to respond, you were cut off by a yawn leaving your lips, one that caused his smile to dwindle and your heart to sink. 

“You are sleepy.” Antasma observed your feeble figure, his tracing eyes causing you to grow shy.

“I'm tired, not sleepy,” you corrected, reaching for the covers and promptly pulling them over your body, bringing you a sense of (somewhat) ease. "There's a difference, you know.”

But the nightmare shook his head, standing by his belief. “No, you are not tired. It is clear that you are sleepy."

Slightly frustrated, you grumbled, your fingers digging into the pillow as you muttered a quiet, “How the fuck can I be sleepy when I can’t even go to sleep?”

A prolonged breath of silence now pervaded the wakeful bedroom. Until,

“But, vith me you can."

You froze, genuinely surprised. Naturally, you weren’t surprised at the fact that he actually heard you (bats had excellent hearing, after all), but rather at the faint tinge of benevolence in his tone. Slowly, your eyes fluttered back to his while you started to think, to contemplate. 

You knew who he was. He was Antasma - the infamous bat king who stopped at nothing to achieve infinite power. He was vile, he was treacherous, he committed SUCH atrocious acts against all that was pure and good. If he so wished, he could do something absolutely terrible to you at this very instant! And yet-

And yet...

“I can cure you easily." He leaned forward, appearing to shelter you by spreading his cape like the wings of a guardian angel. 

You swallowed, his close proximity prompting your palms to sweat as you struggled to form a suitable response. 

“I-I uh...know you can,” you stuttered with a voice that was barely over a whisper. “But, do you really want to?”

Antasma blinked, evidently puzzled, causing you to shake your head and rephrase the heartfelt inquiry. “I mean, WHY do you want to help me?”

Just like before, a particular spark ignited within the king’s eyes, suggesting that your words shook him right to the core. Ever so slightly, he drew himself back. 

“Vhy?”

Again, there was that spark, that glimmer as he stole a moment to breathe and muse while you awaited his response with a heart that was beating way faster than it should have. 

“I vish to help...” he finally spoke, his voice like a soothing lullaby, “because I believe you are someone who is vorth it."

For a moment, it was impossible to breathe. Worth it? Is that what the nightmare truly thought about you? Stunned and flustered, you held his enchanting gaze, your chest beginning to swell with a pulsing, gathering warmth.

“So, if you vish to fall asleep,” Antasma continued, “you vill haff to trust me."

He hovered down, his face remarkably close to your own. God. Any closer and-

“Little one, do you trust me?”

And with the utterance of those exact words, that VERY question, everything was brought to a definitive halt. Your breath hitched as you sunk further into the mattress, entirely stumped on what to do or say. Did you? Did you honestly trust this man? The same man who once caused the fall of an entire civilization? Hell, you were downright insane if you did! There was no valid reason for you to put faith in him! None whatsoever! And yet-

And yet...

Slowly, Antasma floated back from you, almost crestfallen. “If you von't...I understand vhy." He turned his focus to the window, studying the moon with a grave look weaving its way across his ethereal features. You gasped, coming to realize that it was a look of irrefutable regret.

“I vould not trust myself either.”

Without a moment’s hesitation, you then lunged up from the bed and pulled the nightmare into a fierce, protective embrace. It was a ridiculous reaction, one that was aroused by pure emotion. Should you be ashamed? Yes. But, frankly, you didn’t give a damn. 

“No! No!” You trembled, rampant tears rolling freely down your cheeks. “Antasma! Antasma!”

“V-Vut?!” The male stuttered, rightly startled, struggling against your hold. “Vut are you doing?! Release me!” 

But he was lying. If the bat king REALLY wanted to escape, he could do so with little to no difficulty. Yet he was subconsciously choosing not to, and you believe you knew the exact reason as to why. Thus, instead of letting him go, you proceeded to give him the affection he lacked, rekindle the warmth he lost long ago. 

“I DO trust you, Antasma!” you sniffled, shutting your eyes and nudging your head against his chest, determined to show just how much this ruthless villain meant to you. 

“Believe me, I know it hurts to be alone. But you don’t have to feel that way anymore! Because I’m here! I-I’m RIGHT here!” 

Eventually, after a few, violent shudders and gasps, your voice fell to a gentle hush as you reopened your eyes, the shreds of moonlight causing them to glisten. 

“I trust you, Antasma,” you softly repeated, trying your best to compose yourself, stroking his back with fond, comforting motions.  
“I really, really do...”

And that was it.  
That was was the moment when you finally registered something absolutely astonishing. Not only did you trust Antasma - you were in love with him too. 

Your eyes expanded, a promising warmth flooding your chest as you mouthed the words slowly, “In love. IN love...” You have always had this sound feeling for the nightmare king. All this time, it was simply lying dormant within the depths of your heart. Until tonight that is, when it was finally woken.

By now, Antasma ceased to fidget. He was silent and immobile, only allowing himself to breathe with the rise and fall of his chest. Good Lord! You couldn’t even BEGIN to imagine the thoughts that were scuttling throughout his head. Safely assuming that he was uncomfortable, however, you then decided to loosen your hold. But, just as you were doing so, he then muttered your name, causing your face to flush.

“...I see.”

All you could do was nod and whisper a tiny, “...y-you see!” in return. The warmth in your chest was coursing through your body, seeping its way to your soul. It felt good; it felt reassuring. Oh, how you wanted Antasma to feel the same...

Slowly but surely, you then removed yourself from the male and fell back into your mattress. Although, before you could reach for the covers, a sudden thought slipped into your mind.

“Uh! Can you maybe um-“ You faltered, overcome by embarrassment, internally scolding yourself for being rash. What you had in mind could have possibly been taken as indecent. But unfortunately for you, Antasma was now all ears.

“Yes? Maybe vut?”

You could tell by the tone of his voice that he really wanted to hear the rest of your request. Dammit. It was far too late to back out now. 

With a gulp, you lifted your head and caught Antasma’s gaze, moments before emitting your meek plea, “Could you..um...maybe get under the covers with me? You’ll get cold, you know.”

The bat king sent you a strange look as he cocked his head to the side, processing the question. He was thoughtful, pensive. It was clear to you that he was never given this type of offer before (or at least, not in a long time, that was).

“I don’t get cold,” Antasma said after a short pause, beginning to hover low. “But if it pleases you, I vill gladly rest by your side.”

Surprised, you then lifted the blankets, inviting him to slip beneath them in a gradual, lissome motion. As he drew close to you, the heat returned to your face. And for the briefest instant, you could have sworn that his own cheeks were embellished in a (VERY) faint, pinkish hue. It was quite lovely to look at, considering how dark his completion was.

“Are you ready?” He asked.

Your brows furrowed, confused as to what he was referring to until it finally hit you. 

“Oh. Oh! Yes! I’m ready.”

You shifted closer to him, so close to where you could finally see the prominent pupils hidden within his golden eyes. The nightmare nodded, then gently connecting his forehead with your own, causing your heart to flutter. Yet, it was not just YOUR heart. It was HIS heart as well. Its beat was like no other - lulling you into a sweet garden of harmony. 

“Antasma?”

“Yes, little one?”

“When I dream tonight...can we dance?”

Antasma blinked, a sacred spark present in his eyes. “Yes,” he drawled, being lulled into a bliss, a spiritual connection, just as you were. “Ve can dance.” 

You smiled, filled with giddiness and joy.  
Steadily, you drew back from his face and lifted a hand, setting your palm atop his cheek. Then, in a gentle, quiet breath, you leaned in and applied your lips to his. Instant heat flooded your body just as before; only this time, it was far more potent than the last.

Antasma stiffened, a squeak of surprise then arising from his throat. At first, you feared that he would pull away, but he did nothing of the sort. Once you began to move your lips, he started to kiss right back.

You noticed he was rather reserved in his movements. But then again, there was a high probability that he has never been kissed on the lips before. So who could blame his doubt? Certainly not you!

While you guided him with compassionate gestures of your lips, he eventually laid his claw against your skin and began to draw circles into your cheek, the fond action urging a purr to rumble within your throat. Who knew he could be so gentle, so loving? Ultimately, he sunk into the kiss, his teeth nibbling at your bottom lip. And as he released all hesitance, another profound realization arose.

He trusted you. Antasma wholeheartedly trusted you. But as what - A friend? A lover? Perhaps even a soulmate? Honestly, you didn’t care. All you cared about was the warmth being shared between two, lonesome souls, and wishing it could last for hours on end, and fearing it would die out.

But once you broke the kiss, you grinned, relieved to find that the warmth was still very much alive. 

When you looked upon Antasma, you had to stifle a laugh. He appeared to be trapped in a daze, a familiar, pinkish hue adorning his cheeks. 

“I...” he breathed out, lifting his claw from your face, struggling to maintain eye contact. “T-That was, I...”

Letting out a chuckle, you softly pinched his cheek before retracting your hand and storing it beneath the blankets. 

“Goodnight, Antasma,” you whispered, your eyes beginning to close, greeting the call of slumber.

“....”

A gentle smile bloomed across your face, feeling a pair of lips and hint of fangs brush against the surface of your forehead.

“Yes. Goodnight, little love...”

You didn’t have to open your eyes to know that he was smiling. You simply felt it, just like the warmth.

And the glow of the merciful moon.


End file.
